Freeholders tout building project

COURTESY WARREN COUNTYFreeholder Richard D. Gardner discusses Warren County's plans for a new building to house the County Library Headquarters, Department of Human Services, Board of Elections and Public Health Nursing Agency as he and Freeholder Director John DiMaio stand near the field where the building will be constructed.

WHITE -- Although they had no imminent plans to expand, the Warren County Freeholders back in 1998 thought it was prudent to buy the 20-acre field adjoining the county's White Township campus for future development.

Now, Freeholder Director John DiMaio and fellow Freeholders Richard D. Gardner and Everett A. Chamberlain have dedicated that site as the future home of the long-awaited headquarters for the Warren County Library system, plus offices for the county Department of Human Services, Board of Elections, and Public Health Nursing Agency.

"I think this is a great moment for Warren County. It's a beautiful building," DiMaio said during a recent site dedication ceremony as he stood next to an architect's rendition of the planned two-story structure that will be built at the corner of Route 519 and Foul Rift Road.

Since 1973, the County Library has been in what was supposed to be a "temporary" headquarters in the Courthouse Annex in Belvidere. "It's about time the library gets a permanent headquarters," DiMaio remarked. "This building will house them."

"This site dedication marks a very substantial and significant commitment by this freeholder board, a commitment that will generate improved central services for the citizens of Warren County," Gardner told the 50 people attending the event, which was held at the edge of the property overlooking where the building will be located.

He noted the new facility will provide better accessibility and more convenience, particularly for the county's senior citizens.

Chamberlain noted that consolidating the Human Services Department at one location will provide greater efficiency and save taxpayer dollars. The department's four divisions - Administration, Aging and Disability Services, Temporary Assistance and Social Services, and the county Adjuster - are now located in three separate buildings in Belvidere and White Township.

"This is just a picture on a board, but for a library that has been in a temporary headquarters for 35 years, this is a welcome sign of change to come," County Library Director Richard Moore remarked. "The site dedication represents a commitment on the part of the freeholders to provide the kind of library service that the people of Warren County have shown they want and need," Moore added.
Also speaking during the ceremony were county Human Services Director Karen Kubert, Public Health Nursing Division Head Dorothy Harth, Board of Elections Commissioners Harry Brown and Ralph Stead, and Assemblywoman Marcia Karrow.
The building will include 65,000 square feet of space on two floors, plus additional room in the attic for mechanical systems and storage. The freeholders anticipate construction starting next year, with the building occupied by 2011.
Using the natural slope of the land to create a structure with ground floor access on both levels, the lower level will house the Library and Election Board, while the Human Services department and Public Health Nursing Agency will be located on the upper level.
The building also will include a peaked roof, and the freeholders are looking at the potential for using solar and geothermal energy systems in the new structure.
DiMaio said Gardner has been spearheading the effort to make it a "green" building, with alternative materials, heating and lighting systems. "If you look at the way current energy costs have skyrocketed, we couldn't be more on point with that, and it's due to Rick's leadership that we're going in that direction to make it happen," DiMaio said, referring to Gardner.
Gardner also established the county's Projects Committee in 2005 that has been looking at county government facilities and space needs, making recommendations to the freeholder board on building projects.
"This has been a collaborative effort between not only the elected officials and our county employees and department heads, but also citizen volunteers. We have a blend of people who have brought this together," DiMaio said of the project. He and his fellow freeholders praised the efforts of the Projects Committee and its chairman, Joseph Houston.
Project architect is James R. Guerra, PA, of Elizabeth and Phillipsburg.
The freeholders stressed this project, like others undertaken recently, is being done in a fiscally conservative manner. The good news about the project is the county's fiscal discipline, DiMaio explained, adding, "We've been paying down our debt, we've been saving our money in the bank to pay for a great deal of this building without relying on new debt."
DiMaio added, "The generations to come will enjoy it, but we won't hang them with a great big bill around their neck, where they can't afford to live here and enjoy this service."
This structure - the county's first newly constructed government office building since the Public Safety Department and 911 Communications Center was built 15 years ago - will be the fourth major facility to be located at the County's 65.5-acre White Township campus.
The freeholders purchased seven acres of farmland along County Route 519 in 1963 and built a new facility for the Warren County Road Department, which was dedicated on May 15, 1965. In 1969, the adjoining parcel of 38 acres was purchased and held for future use, with the Wayne Dumont, Jr. Administration Building and the Warren County Correctional Center both opening on the site in 1986.